Look, I’m not a big fish lover, though I’ve got to tell you some of the fine fish dishes we’ve been served up have radically changed my gut reaction to those scaly creatures. We’ve had great sushi, fish that didn’t taste like fish, fish that didn’t look nor taste like fish and fish that tasted like fish but was so well prepared, we didn’t seem to mind; in fact we kept being surprised. Would I go out and buy them, during the Nine Days? Maybe, but otherwise, not so much; even if the stats on fish being a heart healthy, stroke and Alzheimer’s preventative food, are definitely very convincing.

So, in keeping with with the season (and in lieu of meat), I thought I’d share a few tips learned along the way about preparing a good fish entrée.

Buying Fish

When you’re at the store pick a fish that’s firm doesn’t smell fishy, but fresh like it just came out of the sea; not that I’ve had first encounters with what that smells like. If you’re buying a whole fish, the color should still be vibrant, the eyes not dulled nor opaqued. Cook it right away or freeze it, but don’t fridge it for more than a day. When preparing a milchige meal, my mother always soaked the fish in milk for a while; she claimed it got rid of any fishy taste.

From: Exile Kiss blog

Preparing Fish

Marinades are wonderful; just don’t leave the fish in an acidic based marinades for more than 30-60 minutes. Simple marinades work great!

Personally, I like my fish baked or pan seared with a few drops of olive oil, a clove of garlic, and a couple good squeezes of fresh lemon.

Fish is versatile and porous so it doesn’t take much for it to absorb surrounding flavors. Poached, baked or fried, don’t overcook your fish. Take it off the flame or remove from the oven when it’s mostly done; it will continue to cook till it cools. What makes a fish kosher? Check it out here, or you can find a listing of kosher fish here. For those who suffer on these strictly milchig or pareve days… remember that is the point of the whole thing. Pray for Shabbos, join a siyum, but mostly daven for a true yeshuah when we will be zocheh to flip me’evel l’yomtov, bimhera biyamenu, amen! .